Day: July 6, 2011

Jude Ellery writes the Football Farrago site as well as editing Man & Ball, and he is sitting in for us this evening with an allegory involving… well, interpret it as you wish. The tribe – for that was what they were – foraged day and night for the perfect tree. They searched high and low, far and wide. They sent scouts out to scour foreign lands, explore uncharted territories, all the time their eyes peeled for the prize that would solve their people’s woes. One day, a horn was sounded. The shrill blast was music to the tribespeople’s ears. It meant the object of their desires had been discovered. The tribespeople all rushed back to the camp. One of the elders saw it first. He cried out with joy; this thing was so beautiful, so perfect. The tree was carried into the camp on the shoulders of four strong men. It would represent their tribe for all eternity – if they could just make a few fine alterations. The craftsmen were rounded up and set to work on the tree, day and night. Large chisels, small chisels, all worked together, all carving away at the trunk in unison. Soon the tree was stripped of its outer layer of bark. What they had uncovered was even more beautiful than they’d ever imagined. The women wept with pride at their...

The careers of possibly the two most famous and talented Brazilian players of all time diverged, yet couldn’t have been more different. This documentary traces the story of football’s first global superstar and a man that overcame everything to make the world gasp, before losing it all. Follow Twohundredpercent on Twitter...